Chapter 5: The Third Trial
Once everyone had got back from their trek around the island to find Max Mushrooms, Mustard had informed them that the trial was over with Klara as the winner. Abigail and Sanjay were disappointed as they'd expected Sapphire would emerge victorious but they understood that Sapphire didn't deserve the win as she explained why her victory was technically cheating. They congratulated her on her honesty and letting Klara take the win since she did find her lot of mushrooms on her own. Everybody was ready for lunch after a workout like that. Sapphire even found herself suddenly realizing how hungry she felt once the smell of the Max Mushrooms cooking drifted into her nostrils.
The soup was ready to serve and all the students sat down at the table together. The table was long and reached from one end of the kitchen to the other with enough seats for everyone in the dojo to sit at. Hyde didn't join everyone as he preferred his own space so Honey filled a bowl of Max Soup to take to him in the living room later on. Sapphire thought the soup smelled amazing as Honey started to dish it out. It smelled like mushroom soup, as she expected, only with the scent being amplified to smell even more incredible than before. Each student as given a roll of bread to eat the soup with. It amazed Sapphire to think that this simple bowl of soup could give a Pokémon the ability to Gigantamax! She imagined Honey must've made a mint for herself with a discovery like this! She would see if she had any other Pokémon in her roster who hadn't unlocked their Gigantamax ability so that they could have the soup.
"Eat up while it's hot, everyone!" Honey said sweetly, "You're in for quite a treat with this brew of mine."
The hungry students didn't need to be asked again. They picked up their spoons and dug straight in. Sapphire spooned up some of her soup and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes widened for a moment and she moaned with delight over the wonderful taste of the fantastical brew.
"Wow…that's the best soup I've ever tasted!" she exclaimed, "It's like no soup I've ever eaten before!"
"That's because it IS like no soup anyone's ever eaten before." Honey said with a wink, "You won't find a better soup than Max Soup prepared here in the Master Dojo, Sapphire."
"I bet Ruby and Emerald would love this too!" Sapphire cried as she picked up her bread roll to dunk into the soup, "You should prepare some for if they ever visit the island one day."
"Oh Ruby's already tried it." Honey confirmed, "She said she tasted some after I gave her a can to give to her Cinderace. She thought it was amazing. I'll spare a can so you can let Emerald try it too if you want."
"I'd like that. Thank you." Sapphire said appreciatively.
She bit down on her soup-soaked bread and beamed at how delicious it tasted. The soup was great on its own but soaked into bread was even better. She was glad she and Klara both found some Max Mushrooms as it would be great to have it again for lunch during her stay here. She couldn't blame James for enjoying it when he drank it himself before Ruby and Emerald's final battle.
Once lunch was done, Sapphire spent the rest of the day further training her Pokémon. She wasn't surprised to see that Klara was going to do the same. She had sworn to put in more effort into getting stronger and Sapphire knew she was going to keep true to that promise. When the evening came, Sapphire hung out with Abigail and Sanjay so that she could bond with them a little more. She hadn't exactly spent much time with the other students since being on the island so she thought it would be good to hang out a bit and not spend so much time with her Pokémon. Sapphire told the duo about her time in the Gym Challenge and how she'd not only become a semi-finalist, but had fallen in love with Champion Ashley Benson of the Unova region and the two were currently in a relationship.
"Having the Champion of another region as your girlfriend…that's pretty amazing!" Abigail exclaimed.
"And lucky too." Sanjay agreed, "That Ashley girl is quite a babe."
"Oh yes, thought of course I love her for more than just her looks." Sapphire said with awe in her voice, "She's kind, she's supportive and often had more faith in me than I did! And she also saved me from being kidnapped by Team Royal. How can I not love her for that?"
"We've heard of those creeps." Abigail muttered, "We were SOOOOO glad to hear that they all got arrested and thrown in jail. Sorry to hear they tried to kidnap you, Sapph. That Ashley girl was very brave to help you out like that."
"Oh you better believe she's brave!" Sapphire laughed, "I don't think I've seen anyone or anything scare her yet! It's too bad she lives so far away as it would be nice if you two got to meet her one day. Maybe next time she visits, I'll invite her to the island so you can meet her." she suggested.
"Provided we haven't graduated before then." Sanjay noticed, "Have you two found a way to make it work despite the long distance between our regions?"
"Not yet, but we're thinking it over." Sapphire confirmed, "So how about you two? Are you a couple or…"
"Oh no, not us!" Abigail said with a chuckle, "Sanjay's already got a girlfriend back home! I doubt she'd be too pleased if me and him hooked up while we're here!"
"Oh! Oh, I beg your pardon. I didn't know." Sapphire said apologetically.
"It's cool." Sanjay said casually, "Me and Abigail are more like siblings to each other than anything romantic. But me and Sophia? I feel as if we're made for each other…" he sighed.
"You hopeless romantic." Abigail teased.
"I think that's sweet!" Sapphire said supportively, "I hope you and Sophia have a wonderful relationship together."
"Cheers Sapph. Same to you and Ashley." Sanjay said graciously, "Now then, do you want to know what the third trial will be tomorrow?" he asked, "We've been here for a previous term so we already know."
Sapphire considered for a moment, but she shook her head.
"No thank you. It'll be more fun if I find out later." she said, "But thanks anyway."
"Needless to say, you'll be in for quite a challenge tomorrow." Abigail insisted, "You haven't done Pokémon battles like THIS trial, I assure you…"
And Sapphire found out that Abigail was right. Come the next morning, the students were all gathered in the main hall again as Mustard explained what today's trial was.
"I imagine this trial may throw some of you off." the Dojo Master explained, "For today's trial is about Pokémon battling…but with a twist!"
"Today's trial is called "Restricted Sparring"." Honey went on, "What it means is that you will only be allowed to battle using three Pokémon of the same time. For example, one trainer might battle using only Electric types, or another might battle with only Fire types. This trial is to test a trainer's skills in battle and how they adapt using Pokémon of a singular type."
"Kinda like us Gym Leaders!" Klara piped excitedly.
"Indeed my child." Mustard nodded, "Just like you Gym Leaders. I imagine a trial like this will feel more up your street as you already specialize in a single type." he added with a supporting smile.
"Oh yes. My Poison types will win this trial easily!" Klara boasted.
"We'll see, Klara." Mustard said cryptically, "In this trial, there will be a chance for not just one of you to win, but two of you. The two trainers who score the highest win totals will progress to the final trial. It doesn't matter if you both have the highest score or if one scores higher than the other. As long as two students have more wins than anyone else, they'll be the winners."
Sapphire took all this in with interest. So this was a trial where you could only use a single type? That was certainly more interesting than the previous two trials. She felt that this would be a trial that would truly put her skills to the test. There was just one problem…
"Oh crap!" Sapphire exclaimed, "I don't have three Pokémon that all share a type!"
All the students looked at her in amazement as if it was unbelievable that she'd said something like that.
"Is that so?" Mustard asked curiously.
"Yes! I don't have a huge roster of Pokémon and with what I do have, I only have at least two of the same types for certain Pokémon, but not three." Sapphire confirmed.
"Oh dear, then I guess you'll have to miss out on the trial." Klara sneered unsympathetically.
"Now Klara, we'll have none of that please." Honey said sternly, "Nobody said Sapphire can't catch any extra Pokémon to give her the three she needs to compete in the trial."
She looked over to Sapphire and smiled encouragingly.
"Go ahead dear. Get whatever you need and we'll save your battles for when you're ready." the Dojo Matron said kindly, "We won't let you miss out."
"Thank you very much!" Sapphire said appreciatively, "I'll choose Water as my single type so I'll have to get a couple of Water Pokémon to go with James Pond to make it three. I'll be back soon!"
She darted out of the dojo to quickly find some extra Pokémon. A couple of hours later, she came back with the requirements to enter the Restricted Sparring trial. As she said, she'd chosen to go with a Water-type only team with James Pond and two new Pokémon she'd caught for the sake of the tournament. Of course, she intended to bond with them afterwards and make them a part of the team, not just extra members for the sake of a trial.
The first of her extra catches was a male Tentacruel that she'd nicknamed Stinger. Tentacruel were Water/Poison type Pokémon that resembled giant jellyfish with clear blue bodies, large red orbs on the top, black underbellies with a pair of eyes and large beak like appendages. They had numerous long brown tentacles that they could ensnare their prey with or wrap up opponents that battled them. Sapphire thought that this Pokémon would come in handy in case she battled a Grass-type Pokémon during the trial.
The second of her extra catches was a male Sharpedo that she'd nicknamed Sky Bite, a name she'd chosen due to being a Transformers fan and she thought naming him after a shark Transformer would be fitting. Sharpedo were Water/Dark type Pokémon that, as their names indicated, looked like a hybrid of a shark and a torpedo with their missile shaped bodies and numerous shark-features from large jaws full of sharp teeth, gills and a tall dorsal fin on top. They also had a star on the top of their snouts. Sharpedo were very fast, able to cruise a single straight line through water and close the distance between itself and its prey in seconds. Sapphire thought having one would be cool and she could see it doing well for the trial.
All the students were out on the Battle Court, a large open arena outside the back of the Dojo. It was huge, easily adequate for Pokémon battles and also big enough for Dynamaxing to occur. The court itself was even over a power spot so Dynamaxing was able to happen. While Sapphire had been busy, numerous students had already had their turns but none had managed to get further than two consecutive wins for now. Abigail and Sanjay had both scored only two wins each. Klara hadn't gone yet. She was going after Sapphire. The blue-haired girl took her place in the Battle Court and waited for her first opponent. For those competing in the trial, one student would have a restricted team and the other students would be their opponents. It was a rotating system that allowed all trainers a chance to be the restricted trainer and also fight the restricted opponent. After this battle, Sapphire would get a turn at being an opponent for a Restricted Sparring trainer if she so chose.
"I'm ready!" Sapphire announced.
"Who would like to be Sapphire's first opponent?" Mustard asked.
Klara was tempted to offer but she decided against it. She didn't want to beat Sapphire when she was using a team of just Water-type Pokémon. She wanted to beat Sapphire at her best with a full team and no restrictions as it would feel more satisfying that way. Sanjay held up his hand.
"I'll go first." he offered.
The black teen took his place opposite Sapphire and they waited for the signal to go. Mustard had volunteered to be referee for the match.
"Trainers, standby!" he called.
Sapphire and Sanjay stared each other down, waiting for the signal to go. It was going to be interesting for both trainers as they hadn't had a chance to see each other battle yet. Both would get to see how good they were and what kind of Pokémon they had to offer.
"Good luck in your first restricted sparring match, mate." Sanjay said kindly.
"You too, mate." Sapphire said supportively, "I'm really keen to see how this goes. I've never battled with a single type team before."
"Then this'll be a great chance for you to see how you do!" Sanjay said eagerly.
"Trainers ready!" Mustard called, holding his arm up ready for the countdown to start, "Three…two…one…GO!" he cried, swiping his arm down to signify it was time to begin.
"Stinger, shining time!" Sapphire called.
"Poliwrath, box em' good!" Sanjay yelled.
Both trainers threw their Pokéballs and out came their first Pokémon. Stinger and Poliwrath materialized onto the field and stared each other down, ready to throw down and show the audience a good match. Sanjay frowned.
"Damn…starting out with a half-Poison type!" he muttered, "My Poliwrath's Fighting moves won't do anything against a Tentacruel."
"Too true. Fighting-types aren't very effective against Poison-types." Sapphire crowed, "I knew you'd bring Poliwrath out first so I deliberately chose Stinger to start first to give me a handy way to stand up to its Fighting moves. You really shouldn't be so predictable in choosing your Pokémon."
While some may have viewed that as an insult, Sapphire meant for it to be a handy piece of advice that would help Sanjay out in future battles. Abigail seemed to agree with her for she was annoyed at her friend for being so obvious from the start.
"How many times do I have to tell you Sanjay? Don't always rely on your ace! If you're predictable like that, your opponent will just pick the right Pokémon to overcome it!" she yelled in annoyance.
"OK Abs, I get it! I shouldn't rely so much on my Poliwrath." Sanjay sighed, "I'm sure I can still win this match. Especially as my Poliwrath can at least exploit that Poison-typing…"
Sapphire narrowed her eyes in anticipation. That didn't sound good. What did Sanjay have in mind? She decided to make the first move before Poliwrath did.
"Use Acid Armour!" she cried.
Stinger aimed up at the sky and spat out a blob of poisonous sludge that shot straight up and fell straight back down on top of himself. The sludge spread all over his body and solidified, making a hard shell around the jellyfish Pokémon. The audience murmured with interest. Acid Armour was a Poison-type status move that boosted a Pokémon's Defence sharply. Whatever surprise Sanjay had for Stinger, it would do less damage than usual now his defences had gone up. The teen boy frowned, wishing he hadn't boasted about his Poliwrath having a way around Poison-types as now Sapphire had a Pokémon that would tank hits easier than normal. Still, he was confident that he could beat Stinger.
"Time to show Sapphire what I meant earlier, Poliwrath. Use Earthquake!" Sanjay cried.
Poliwrath clasped both of its gloved fists together and slammed them down onto the ground. A fist of energy punched its way towards Stinger, the ground cracking as it edged closer and closer. Sapphire now understood what Sanjay meant. Poison-type Pokémon were weak to Ground attacks and Poliwrath just happened to know one! She imagined Sanjay taught his Poliwrath that move to deal with Electric-type Pokémon that would pose a problem for it and it also gave him a handy counter to the Poison-types that would resist its fighting moves! Luckily for her, Stinger had used Acid Armour and because of Defence increase, Earthquake didn't hit him quite as hard as it would've done. Stinger grimaced as the forces of the Earth itself pounded into him but he wasn't too badly hurt. He shook himself off and raised his tentacles menacingly, keen to get back at Poliwrath for that attack.
"Good move Sanjay." Sapphire complimented, "And clever you to teach your Poliwrath Earthquake to give it a type-advantage over Poison-types like Stinger. But I'm still going to win this one. Use Supersonic!" she commanded.
Stinger held up his tentacles and unleashed sonic waves towards Poliwrath. The waves swept over Poliwrath and the world seemed to twist around it. Up became down and the sky seemed to replace the ground. It no longer seemed to know where it was and which way up it was standing. Supersonic was a tricky move that confused the opponent, and Poliwrath looked very confused right now. It swayed on its feet as if it was standing on a rocking ship on a stormy sea and it didn't seem to know where Stinger was anymore. Sanjay cried out in horror.
"Gah! Poliwrath's senses are all out of whack!" he exclaimed.
"Oh indeed." Sapphire crowed, "At least while he's confused, he's less likely to launch an attack. Now Stinger, use Sludge Bomb!"
Stinger spat a huge pile of poisonous sludge towards Poliwrath. The sludge hit its target and Poliwrath grimaced from the attack. The smell of the sludge was revolting and it stung horribly as it landed on its skin. Sanjay tried to order Poliwrath to use another Earthquake but unfortunately, it never came. Poliwrath was too confused from Stinger's Supersonic earlier so it ended up attacking itself, socking itself between the eyes with a heavy punch. Poliwrath stumbled backwards after punching itself, nearly falling over onto its back. While it was stunned, Sapphire took the opportunity to call for another attack. Stinger hit Poliwrath with Sludge Bomb once more and as if to add insult to injury, the muscular tadpole Pokémon ended up getting poisoned after the attack. The poison sapped away what was left of Poliwrath's strength and it collapsed onto the floor, completely wiped out from the battle. Sanjay gasped in astonishment while the other students stared in amazement. They chattered excitedly.
"Wow, she's good!"
"I can believe she's the girl who beat the Unovan Champion this year!"
"She's a semi-finalist alright! I'm amazed she's not the new champion!"
"I bet she would've beaten Ruby if she fought her!"
"Hey Sapphire! Thanks for showing everyone how great Poison types are!" Klara cooed. As a Poison-type specialist, she'd naturally enjoyed watching Stinger in action, and winning the fight no less.
Sapphire just nodded, appreciating that Klara wasn't insulting her or being rude for a change. She turned back to Sanjay, curious to see what her friend's next Pokémon would be.
"You're good Sapph." the black teen commented, "But this battle's far from over. Tauros, box em' good!" he yelled.
He threw his second Pokéball and it opened up to unleash the wild, temperamental and highly powerful Tauros. It was a Normal-type Pokémon resembling a bull, and was also a male-only species. It had large curved horns, orange fur and a thick brown mane around its neck and shoulders. It also had three tails that it would whip itself with as a warning to other Tauros nearby that it was about to charge. They were first found in Kanto and were another species exclusive to the Isle of Armor for Galarian trainers. Tauros pawed at the ground with its hoof, signifying it was ready to charge. Sapphire imagined that this Tauros was going to be a powerhouse with plenty of powerful attacks. She returned Stinger and exchanged him for Sky Bite. She decided to see how he would do in his first Pokémon battle.
As soon a Sky Bite appeared on the field, he narrowed his gaze at Tauros and grinned viciously. He looked like he was ready to fight and was dying to take a bite out of Tauros. To add even more of a creep factor to the whole thing, he even started singing the infamous theme music from the movie Jaws. That made everyone shiver uneasily. Even Tauros looked a little put off by Sky Bite's creepy behaviour.
"Come on Sky Bite, knock it off. This is a Pokémon battle, not a horror movie." Sapphire said hastily.
"Aww, but I think it's fun to sing that before I battle!" Sky Bite complained.
"You can sing it later." Sapphire insisted, "Now let's start this battle off with Liquidation!" she called.
Sky Bite cackled delightedly as he surrounded himself with water and shot towards Tauros. He looked very much like a torpedo that had been fired towards the unsuspecting boat that had strayed into its path. He slammed into Tauros but the bull Pokémon stood its ground and held on the best it could as Sky Bite pushed it back a little. Mounds of dirt kicked up around Tauros's hoofs but it didn't go down. Sapphire could see this Tauros was going to be a tough opponent to get through. It was clearly well-trained in taking hits from its opponents. Tauros kicked wildly with its hind legs to make Sky Bite back off. The moment he did, Sanjay commanded his bovine Pokémon to use Close Combat. As a Fighting-type enthusiast, he also liked to teach his non-Fighting Pokémon some Fighting-type moves to keep with his theme. Tauros let out a loud moo as it lowered its head and rocketed towards Sky Bite. Its body was bathed in red energy. The court shook wildly with every stomp of Tauros's hoofs. Most of the students had to fight to stay standing while Mustard barely even felt it. As far as he was concerned, it was barely even a tremor.
Tauros slammed straight into Sky Bite, knocking the shark-like Pokémon backwards and sending him crashing down at Sapphire's feet. She gasped as Sky Bite lay on the ground, completely wiped out in the single hit he'd received. This wasn't unusual as Sharpedo were very brittle Pokémon. Their Attack and Speed were very high but they couldn't take hits themselves once an opponent landed one. It also didn't help that Sky Bite's half-Dark typing made him weak to Fighting-attacks so the super-effective hit had been enough to take him down. But Close Combat had a pesky side effect that would give Tauros some trouble later on. Anyone who used Close Combat got a drop in both their Defences and their Special Defences afterwards, so at least when Sapphire's Pokémon next attacked, Tauros wouldn't take the hit as well as before. Also, Sky Bite had an ability called Rough Skin. Any Pokémon that made physical contact with him would get hurt as well and take a little damage. Despite going down easily, at least he'd taken a little health from Tauros so Sapphire's next Pokémon would have a slightly easier chance of taking it down. That didn't matter to Sanjay, who cheered happily.
"Whoo-hoo! I can always count on you, Tauros! You never let me down!" he cried.
Tauros snorted with delight, glad to have won the battle. The audience could see that this wasn't going to be a complete walkover for Sapphire. It also wasn't a good start for her to have a Pokémon fainting on her first turn. The rules of Restricted Sparring stated that the trainer could only keep on going until all their Pokémon had fainted with only two options to fully heal their Pokémon between battles available. After this fight was over, Sapphire could choose to fully heal her team now or save it for another battle and given Stinger had already taken a hit and Sky Bite was down, she'd be more likely to use one of the two lifelines at such an early stage in order to keep going. For now, she returned Sky Bite to his Pokéball and drew out her next one. She didn't want to use Stinger again, feeling it was best to use a Pokémon that hadn't already battled yet.
"I can always rely on you to get me out of a sticky situation…" Sapphire said brightly, "James Pond, shining time!" she cried.
James Pond materialized onto the field and he took up a battle stance that made him look like the man who had inspired his nickname about to shoot an enemy that was standing opposite him. Sanjay knew that this battle was going to be tricky. Not only was he up against Sapphire's very first Pokémon, but as he'd learnt from her, this very same Pokémon had carried her to the semi-finals of this year's Pokémon League and had been the Pokémon that defeated the Unovan Champion's ace Pokémon. This wasn't like Stinger and Sky Bite where she'd only just caught them, James was in a league of his own. Tauros would have a harder time battling a more experienced and stronger Pokémon than one Sapphire hadn't even owned for more than a day so far.
"Use Zen Headbutt!" Sanjay called.
Tauros lowered its head and stood still for a minute as Psychic energy built up around it. Then it charged, stampeding towards James Pond with the intention of running him down. Sapphire could see what Sanjay was planning a mile away. Experience with her girlfriend had taught her that Zen Headbutt was a handy move to get an opponent to flinch and stop them attacking. Ashley's Braviary especially liked to use that kind of tactic and had put it to good use against Paul's Grapploct and her own Nidoking. But Sapphire knew how to handle a Zen Headbutt.
"Use Reflect!" Sapphire commanded.
James held out his hands and conjured up a magical screen that spread out in front of him. Tauros slammed into James but thanks to Reflect being set up, he barely felt the attack. With Reflect in play, all of Sanjay's Pokémon's physical moves would do half the damage they usually would so James could cushion the blows while still getting to hit at full power. He did so now as Sapphire ordered him to use Snipe Shot on Tauros. The chameleon Pokémon pointed at Tauros and blasted him with a single jet of water. Klara grimaced, remembering the very attack that had one-shot her Scolipede when she and Sapphire first met. Thanks to the drop on Tauros's defences, James was able to defeat it with the single blow. The bull Pokémon collapsed onto its side, looking as if it had literally been shot down by James. Now both opponents were down to one Pokémon each. Sanjay returned Tauros to its Pokéball and drew out his last one.
"This battle's getting more tense than I expected!" the dojo student said enthusiastically, "I didn't think we'd both be down to one Pokémon each! This one's my personal ace so you're in for the battle of a life time, Sapphire. Lucario, box em' good!" he yelled.
Sapphire found herself looking at the first Pokémon in Sanjay's arsenal that wasn't exclusive to the Isle of Armour as Lucario could be found in mainland Galar. Lucario was a Steel/Fighting type Pokémon first discovered in the Sinnoh region and was famous for being a part of the unbeatable Cynthia's team. Lucario resembled Anubis, the Egyptian god of Death, with its canine-like appearance, large pointy ears, four black appendages that hung from the back of its head and ability to sense another life form's aura. It had blue and black fur, red eyes and large spikes on the back of its hands. Lucario were known to be extremely loyal to their trainers and boasted a high sense of justice. They were popular with many Fighting-type specialists, particularly Gym Leader Maylene from Sinnoh and Gym Leader Korrina from Kalos. Lucario took up a karate stance and growled, ready for a good, solid throw down with James. James refused to be intimidated.
"Nice doggy." he taunted.
"I wouldn't rile him up, James. Lucario are no laughing matter." Sapphire warned, "They're tough Pokémon and pack quite a punch."
"You got that right, and my Lucario's a true force of nature in battle!" Sanjay declared, "Show them why that is with Aura Sphere!" he yelled.
Lucario held its paws together and conjured up a small sphere of energy between them. Sapphire could see why Sanjay had called that move. Aura Sphere was one of the few Fighting attacks that wasn't a physical move. It was a special move, so it would bypass the effects of Reflect and allow Lucario to land a hit at full power, unlike Tauros previously. It was also pointless to try and dodge as Aura Sphere never missed. Lucario launched the attack at James but to everyone's surprise, he was able to stop it as Sapphire ordered him to use Snipe Shot to shoot it down before it could hit! The attack was successful. James pointed at the oncoming Aura Sphere and shot it with Snipe Shot, breaking the energy ball into pieces and stopping it coming anywhere near him. He looked as if he were out clay pigeon shooting and had just hit the disc that had been fired. Sapphire cheered in amazement. She hadn't expected the move to actually work and was overjoyed that it had defied expectations.
"Wow! I can't believe that worked!" Sapphire cried, "Let's keep it up with another Snipe Shot!"
James fired again at Lucario and unlike his opponent, he landed a successful hit. He hit Lucario in the chest with Snipe Shot and the fighting jackal grimaced as if it had taken a gunshot to the heart. Lucario shook off the pain and recomposed itself. It would take more than a jet of water to defeat it! Sanjay decided to try something else. If Lucario's Aura Sphere wouldn't work because James could just shoot it down, then it was better to use an attack he couldn't block. Lucario held out its paws and this time, used Psychic on James. The Secret Agent Pokémon yelped as he was lifted off the ground by Lucario's Psychic attack. As it was another Special Attack, this bypassed the effects of Reflect once more so Lucario could land a clean hit with nothing to soften the blows. Lucario held its paws up and then swung them down, bringing James crashing down onto the ground heavily. He cried out from the hit but Lucario didn't stop there. It slammed James up and down on the ground a few times as its psychic hold was still tight around the water chameleon's body. Then it threw its paw forward and sent James hurling backwards through the air. Sapphire yelped and dived out the way as James nearly crashed into her. Sanjay frowned in annoyance.
"How many times, Lucario?! Watch where you throw your opponents!" he muttered, "I doubt Mustard would give us the win if we knocked the Pokémon's trainer out too!"
Lucario rubbed the back of its head apologetically. James picked himself up and Sapphire returned to her original position in the arena, relieved she'd managed to dodge in time.
"This battle's not over yet. Use Shadow Ball!" Sapphire commanded.
James held his hands together and created an ectoplasmic sphere of purple and black energy between them. Then he launched the ball at Lucario. Lucario only took normal damage from Ghost attacks but Sapphire wasn't aiming necessarily for damage. She knew that Shadow Ball could also lower a Pokémon's Special Defence, which was great for James as all his attacks were Special Attacks so if he lowered Lucario's Special Defence, the next Snipe Shot would finish it off. She got her wish for as soon as Lucario was hit, the ghostly energy in the Shadow Ball sapped away some of its Special Defence. Its body flashed blue to signify the stat drop. Sanjay could see this battle was going against him and fast. He had to finish it and fast!
He ordered Lucario to use Psychic once again but in the end, it didn't do him any good. Lucario held out its paws and seized James in a psychic grip but James was pointing his finger at it at that very moment. Thus, he was still able to use Snipe Shot again even though Lucario had hold of him with Psychic. Sapphire gave the command and James shot Lucario in the chest once again with Snipe Shot. The drop in its Special Defence earlier was enough to make it susceptible to that last hit. The canine-like Pokémon fell to its knees and fainted on the ground. James dropped down now he was free from Psychic and he blew on his finger.
"Shot through the heart and you're to blame, as they say…" he purred.
"And that's the match!" Mustard declared, "Sapphire has one consecutive win under her belt! A very well done to her for her first Restricted Sparring match!" he complimented.
"I'll say!" cried one of the students, "Even without type advantages, she still took Sanjay down!"
"Puh. She got lucky." Klara scoffed, "I bet when it's my turn, I'll get much further and I won't lose a single Pokémon like she did."
"What, like last time when you couldn't even get a single win?" Abigail sneered, "Yeah, I'd love to see you fail again. That'll give us a good laugh."
Klara frowned in annoyance. One of these days, people would start appreciating her successes and stop waving her failures in her face!
As for Sapphire, she wiped her forehead. She couldn't believe she'd managed to win despite only having Water-types to use and going up against some strong Pokémon. She knew she wouldn't get many more wins if she carried on with her team the way it was now. She went over to Honey, who gave her Pokémon some Full Restores to fully heal them up for the next match. She would only be allowed to do this one more time so Sapphire hoped the next match would be easier.
Thankfully, the next two matches did go easier for her. She went up against a student that didn't have particularly strong Pokémon and even had a Ground type on her team so Sapphire had a type-weakness to exploit for a change. The third battle was a little tougher with some Pokémon that had a type-advantage but she was able to still pull through in the end. The trainer in question had used a team of Grass-types…which was a big mistake as James knew Ice Beam, Sky Bite knew Ice Fang and Stinger knew Sludge Bomb so they all had type-coverage. Still, the Pokémon had given them a good fight and Sapphire was forced to use her second life line. From now on, her Pokémon weren't allowed to heal again. She was amazed with herself. Her first time doing this trial and she'd scored THREE executive wins, the most so far of anyone today! She was hoping to make it four as she took her place back in the arena.
This time, her opponent was Abigail. The bluenette girl had decided she wanted a chance to battle Sapphire now. The girls took up their places and waited for the signal to go. Sapphire couldn't help but take a moment to admire Abigail's strong, slender legs. The tiny shorts of her dojo uniform really did them justice and she had to admit that they gave Ashley's own legs some stiff competition! Abigail was the kind of girl who loved to keep herself fit and it showed with how agile and strong she looked. But would that fitness also pass over to her Pokémon too? Sapphire had only seen Abigail use a Zoroark so she had no idea what to expect from her. She could have anything as far as she knew.
"I hope you didn't mind me defeating your friend earlier." Sapphire said.
"Nah. If anything, watching you fight has just given me an idea on what you're like in battle so I've been planning away my own strategies so I can beat you." Abigail declared, "You won't get further than three consecutive wins, I'm afraid because your winning streak ends here!"
"Bring it! I'm ready for you!" Sapphire cried hotly.
"Trainers ready!" Mustard called out as he held his arm up, "Three…two…one…GO!" he yelled.
"Let's make this our fourth win in a row! Sky Bite, shining time!" Sapphire cried, throwing her first Pokéball.
Sky Bite materialized onto the field and he bared his teeth, hungry for more action. He'd been enjoying the battles he'd had, especially the ones he'd won and he was keen for another battle. But the match seemed like it would be over before it started as Abigail threw her first Pokéball.
"Electivire, battle station!" she cried.
Sapphire gasped in horror as Electivire made its electrifying entrance on the battlefield. She was seriously screwed now! Not only was Electivire a very powerful Electric-type Pokémon that could really dish out a lot of punishment, but her team had no counters for Electric-types! What was she going to do now?!
Electivire were Electric-type Pokémon first discovered in Sinnoh and were the evolved form of Electabuzz. It looked like a gorilla-ish creature with fuzzy yellow fur, large arms, red eyes, twin tails that looked like trailing wires, a pair of horns resembling Tesla coils and a black pattern on its back that resembled an electric outlet. It stood on two legs, though they weren't that big compared to its arms. Electivire's hands crackled with electricity, clearly ready to get into the action. Sapphire knew what an Electivire was thanks to watching Paul's battle with Ash on TV with her sisters. He had one himself and it was his personal ace. But how did Abigail have one herself?
"No way! You have an Electivire?!" Sapphire exclaimed, "But how? They live in the Crown Tundra so you couldn't possibly have caught one here on the island!"
"Who said I caught it?" Abigail retorted, "It was traded to me. I caught a Scizor here on the island and I ran into a trainer who wanted one so he offered to trade me his Electivire for my Scizor. I was all too happy to accept as I've really wanted an Electivire for a while now but never had the time to visit the Crown Tundra and find one. It's been a real trooper for my team, let me tell you!"
"And it's certainly going to bring my winning streak to an end!" Sapphire cried in dismay, "I doubt my team will be a match for it…but I'm not giving in and letting you have an easy win! I'll give it a shot anyway and see how I go."
"Glad you are." Abigail said kindly, "I'd hate to see you give up just because I'm using an Electric-type now."
"I didn't give up against Ashley, and she's a reigning champ!" Sapphire declared, "If I'm willing to go up against her, why should I give in now? Sky Bite, use Agility!"
She hoped that an extra speed boost would give Sky Bite more of an edge in this battle against Electivire. If he was too fast to hit, he'd be safe from its electric attacks. Sky Bite began darting around the arena at blinding speeds, moving so fast that he almost seemed to be teleporting from one part of the arena to the next. It was a literal blink and you'll miss him moment. But Abigail had a way to keep up with her speedy opponent.
"Electivire, use Thunder Punch on yourself!" she commanded.
Sapphire was gobsmacked. What kind of stupid move was that?! What idiot told their Pokémon to attack themselves? She soon saw why. While she knew about Electivire, she didn't know everything about the species, and one of those things she didn't know was its ability. Motor Drive was an ability exclusive to Electivire and it could only be activated by being hit by an electric attack. Once activated, Electivire got a speed boost of its own. Abigail had found a creative way to use the ability without the opponent activating it for her. Electivire socked itself in the gut with Thunder Punch and naturally, felt no pain or received any damage from it. Its body glowed orange and its arms began to spin around in rapid circles as Motor Drive kicked in. Sapphire gasped as Electivire began to chase after Sky Bite, moving so fast that it became a yellow and black blur dancing from one part of the arena to the next. It was incredible to watch this deadly game of tag going underway and Sapphire had no doubt that it was going to end with one of them being caught eventually. She decided to land the first blow by ordering Sky Bite to stop running away and use Crunch.
The torpedo-shaped shark creature stopped and turned around just as Electivire pounced towards him. He opened his mouth and bit down hard on Electivire's shoulder. He had seen Abigail command her Pokémon to use Thunder Punch so he knew biting it on the arm or hand was suicide so he knew the shoulder would be a safer target. His teeth sank into Electivire's shoulder, making the sasquatch-like Pokémon cry out in pain. Sapphire was hoping to score the side-effect of Crunch, which was lowering the opponent's Special Defence, as it would make it easier for James Pond and Stinger to defeat Electivire that way. Sadly, it didn't happen but at least Sky Bite had landed a good hit. Electivire raised its other hand to use Thunder Punch on Sky Bite and make him let go but the shark-like Pokémon was too quick for it. He let go and shot away, leaving Electivire to punch himself in the shoulder…and as a result, activate Motor Drive a second time for an even bigger speed boost. Now Electivire was EVEN faster as a result! It moved again, this time moving just as fast as Sky Bite after an Agility speed boost. Both opponents were down to playing a speedy game of tag once more, seeming to teleport over and over again with how fast they were moving. This time, Electivire eventually caught up with Sky Bite and landed a blow on him. He yelped as his electrical opponent socked him hard with a powerful Thunder Punch. The single blow was enough to knock Sky Bite clean out. He collapsed on the ground, his eyes becoming swirls as he lost consciousness. It had been a valiant effort, but ultimately not enough. The other students murmured, keen to see how Sapphire would come back from this. They doubted she'd let this single Electivire walk all over her.
Sapphire returned Sky Bite and exchanged him for James Pond, but only for a brief moment. She wanted to save him for last but also had an idea on how to use him in a way that could help Stinger against Electivire. As soon as James was called out, Sapphire ordered him to use Reflect and then after he'd set up Reflect, she returned him to his ball and brought Stinger out to battle instead. Abigail could see Sapphire's plan a mile away. With Reflect up, Stinger would only take half of the damage he received from Electivire's Thunder Punch. She also remembered Stinger's Acid Armour move from the previous three battles. Sapphire was no doubt planning to boost her Tentacruel's Defences to have more of a chance against her Electivire. She wouldn't let her overwhelm her with her strategies!
"Use Brick Break to get rid of that Reflect!" Abigail ordered.
Electivire zoomed towards Stinger, still moving incredibly fast thanks to its Motor Drive speed boosts from earlier. Stinger only just had time to register that Electivire had moved before he found himself being karate-chopped on top of his blobby body by the furry Pokémon. Of course, Brick Break didn't do much to him as it was a Fighting move but Abigail hadn't been aiming for damage. Electivire's Brick Break had smashed the Reflect to pieces so now it wouldn't half the power of its attacks. Sapphire quickly used the second step of her plan, ordering Stinger to use Acid Armour to boost his defences in the hopes of tanking Electivire's Thunder Punch. Stinger did so, coating himself in poisonous sludge that hardened around him just like before. After that had done, Electivire came in with another Thunder Punch attack. Its fist slammed into Stinger and while it was a powerful move, the Acid Armour's defence boosts stopped it from being a one hit KO. Stinger shook off the sting of the electrical punch and Sapphire ordered him to use Hydro Pump. With a very strong attack like that, Stinger would do a lot of damage to Electivire and soften it up enough for James Pond to finish the job. Stinger aimed at Electivire and fired a huge torrent of water at it. But Electivire's Motor Drive had made it too fast for him to hit and Hydro Pump was a move with poor accuracy so that didn't help. Electivire effortlessly dodged the Hydro Pump and came in again with another Thunder Punch. Unlike Stinger, it didn't miss and the single hit had been enough to finish him off. Stinger collapsed on the floor, his body twitching slightly from the electricity he'd been hit with. Sapphire felt disappointed. She was hoping her strategy would help out but Abigail's Electivire was just too fast and strong for her Pokémon. She was down to one and Abigail still had three Pokémon left to use. Even if James defeated Electivire, he probably wouldn't handle the rest of her team as he'd be too exhausted. There was always a chance that maybe the rest of her team would have weaknesses James could exploit, but Electivire would do the damage and he wouldn't be able to carry on much longer. But maybe there was a way she could make James stronger so he wouldn't take as much damage from Electivire? Then she remembered. The Battle Court was over a Power Spot! So that meant…
Sapphire smiled to herself. Maybe there was hope yet.
"OK James, it's all up to you. And this'll be the perfect chance to have a proper battle with your Gigantamax form!" Sapphire declared.
She held out James's Pokéball with the Inteleon still inside and activated her Dynamax band. Everyone stared with excitement as Sapphire's Pokéball expanded in size and she threw it. It was the first time in this trial she had decided to Dynamax her Pokémon so the battle was going to get even more interesting to watch. Abigail decided to do the same, returning Electivire to its Pokéball and activating her own Dynamax band. Now both Pokémon had grown in size with Electivire still the same as it was before while James had transformed into his Gigantamax form. His tail had extended to such a length that he now looked like an assassin standing atop his own sniper tower, waiting to pick off his enemies one by one. He even had a rifle made of water in his hands to further emphasize that look. Now the Pokémon had finished Dynamaxing, Electivire made the first move by using Max Lightning on James. As it still had its speed boosts from earlier, it was still faster than James, even if its increased size meant it couldn't move as fast as before. Electivire brought down a huge bolt of lightning towards James. But the chameleon Pokémon was able to block it by using Max Guard. He conjured up a huge barrier around himself that protected him from the hit. Now that was done, James retaliated by using G-max Hydrosnipe. He aimed his water rifle at Electivire and fired a single shot. Electivire grimaced as it was hit by the attack. It stumbled backwards but it didn't go down.
Electivire shook off the pain and retaliated with another Max Lightning. But once again, James used Max Guard to block the attack. Abigail cursed in annoyance. How was she going to get a shot on James if he was going to keep blocking the attack? The Max Guard was certainly helping him stay in the game! Then she had an idea. She commanded Electivire to use Max Knuckle next. Sapphire ordered James to use Max Guard to block the attack but Electivire hadn't been aiming at James. It had aimed at the base of his sniper tower with Max Knuckle and although Max Guard blocked the attack, it didn't stop the ground from shaking underneath James. He wobbled precariously as the attack made the ground shudder and because of that, he couldn't concentrate on keeping his Max Guard up and as a result, it dropped and left him wide open for another attack. Electivire used Max Lightning and this time, was finally able to land a blow. Due to using Max Knuckle earlier, it had gained an Attack boost so the Max Lightning did more damage than it would've done. James yelled out loud as he was electrocuted by Electivire. Sapphire turned away, unable to look as the electrical attack was too bright for her. Soon, it was all over. Both James and Electivire returned down to their normal sizes and forms and Electivire remained standing while James collapsed onto the floor. That last attack had wiped him out completely. Sapphire stared in dismay while Abigail cheered, happy with her win.
"We did it! Great work, Electivire!" she cheered.
Electivire just grinned with pleasure.
"And that's the match!" Mustard called, "Abigail is the winner, which ends Sapphire's Restricted Sparring win total at three! So far, that is the highest number of wins we have so Sapphire currently leads. Many congratulations to her for an incredible trial run!"
Honey and the others agreed with the Dojo Master and cheered for Sapphire. The teen girl smiled appreciatively. Although she'd lost and her winning streak was over, she was thankful to everyone for the cheers and complimenting her on a good trial run. The fact she currently had the highest win total so far was incredible to her. She returned James to his Pokéball and met with Abigail in the middle of the arena to shake hands with her.
"That was a great battle!" Sapphire exclaimed, "Bloody hell, I could hardly catch my breath out there!"
"Even with a type-disadvantage, you really gave it your all." Abigail praised, "Well done, Sapph! You really earned that three win score! I hope nobody else does better than you because you really deserve to win."
"It doesn't matter if anyone does get a higher winning streak as there's going to be two winners of this trial." Sapphire noted, "As long as only one person scores three wins or more, I'll be one of the winners and go through to the final trial."
"I sure hope so as I still ache for a chance to beat you at last." Klara declared, "The final trial will no doubt be a head-to-head match and I want it to be between us!"
"Well you've got to score at least three wins or more first." Sapphire retorted, "You're up next so we'll see how you do."
So Klara had her shot next, taking up Sapphire's place in the Battle Court so she could have her Restricted Sparring trial. To everyone's surprise, she ended up doing much better than what they would've normally expected from her. Sapphire could see this Klara was much more determined than before and her Pokémon seemed to be much stronger than the previous two times she'd battled her. The three Pokémon she used for the trial were her Slowbro, a Drapion and much to everyone's surprise, a Dragalge. Abigail informed Sapphire that Klara had never caught one before so everyone was surprised to see her using a Dragon-type Pokémon, even if it was also half-Poison type so it stayed true to her theming. Klara went on to achieve three wins in a row with her winning streak being stopped by a student who had a Rhyperior and an Alakazam in his team. It had been a close match though, nobody could deny that and Klara had come very close to a fourth win.
Only a few students were left to compete and once they'd had their goes, the trial had concluded. Mustard gathered everyone together so he could announce the results.
"And that's the end of the third trial!" he announced, "You've all done amazingly well today students! Lots of incredible battles from both the restricted and the unrestricted! But I'm afraid there can only be two winners, and those two winners are…Sapphire and Klara, both with three consecutive wins each!"
He paused to let the other students clap and cheer for them. Unsurprisingly, most of the cheers were for Sapphire. After they'd finished, Mustard continued.
"They will progress to the final trial, which will see them compete together head-to-head in a full six-on-six Pokémon battle for a chance to win the Secret Armour! The final trial will take place at the end of this week so I suggest both Sapphire and Klara use the time between now and then to get as much Pokémon training in as possible. We'd love for you both to be at your best by then." he said supportively.
"Yes master." Klara said with a bow.
"We'll be at our best and give you all an honourable battle, sir." Sapphire said, also with a bow.
The two teens glared at each other. So this was it, they were the ones competing for the Secret Armour. The final trial was a battle between them with only one of them taking home the grand prize. Neither one was going to make this an easy trial! They were going to give it their all and give the Isle of Armour a battle to remember…
Sapphire and Klara tie for a win in this trial! Now for the last trial, they'll be battling each other for a chance to win the secret armour. Who will it be? Will the smart and strategic Sapphire emerge victorious? Or will the poisonous and cunning Klara take the win? Tune in next time for "The Final Trial"...
Trivia: In the games, the third trial is actually the last trial and there isn't four trials to go through. I just decided to make the battle with Sapphire and Klara the fourth trial and make this third trial a Restricted Sparring match instead as it felt the best way to include that into the story.
In the games, Restricted Sparring is merely an additional feature for players to play through and not an actual part of the plot. Here, that's different of course. XD
Abigail and Sanjay being Sapphire's opponents here obviously references the NPCs from the Isle of Armour being opponents you face in the Restricted Sparring battles.
When playing the game that inspired this story, I never actually caught a Tentacruel or a Sharpedo. I just had Sapphire hastily catch those for the sake of the story. Their move sets are meant to be what they likely would be if you caught them in the wild, so no TR or TM moves for Stinger and Sky Bite.
Oh and if you're curious, my best score on the Restricted Sparring is 9 wins with the Fire type. My team was Cinderace, Coalossal and Charizard with all of them able to Gigantamax. My second best score is 6 wins with the Dragon type, using Duraludon, Dragapult and Hydreigon. :)